


you're like the egg to my cress

by changbinloml



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Cute, Cute Yang Jeongin | I.N, Everyone Loves Yang Jeongin | I.N, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Yang Jeongin | I.N is Whipped, Yang Jeongin | I.N-centric, chan is so pretty, except its secondary school, i cant emphasise that enough, jeongin rlly loves sandwiches, love u tesco meal deals, so does chan, theyre british because i am british
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:21:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28371570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/changbinloml/pseuds/changbinloml
Summary: Jeongin loves a lot of things- he loves drinking tea that contains far too much sugar to be healthy, he loves having so many plushies on his bed there's barely any room left for himself, and most of all, he loves Tesco's egg cress sandwiches.However, there's a new contender in the extensive list of Jeongin's favourite things; Said contender is a boy, with heart shaped lips and the cutest dimples Jeongin has ever seen. Jeongin has a feeling that egg cress sandwiches won't be holding the top spot for much longer.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Yang Jeongin | I.N
Comments: 16
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> im sure all of you will be able to guess, but just in case, i thought i'd clarify that tesco is a supermarket in britain and lots of them are open 24/7 and their meal deals are to die for !!!

Jeongin has always been one to enjoy the little things in life.

He enjoys long walks home from school during autumn, when there's a pleasant nip to the air and the sweet, syrupy scent of freshly fallen leaves gives him a strong craving for pancakes. He enjoys drinking tea that has far too much sugar to be healthy, always one teaspoon short of the daily recommended intake, and he enjoys having so many plushies and blankets on his bed that there's barely any room left for him to sleep there too.

But, most of all, he enjoys Tesco meal deals.

There's something about Tesco meal deals that just really _floats his boat_ , leaves him with an unprecedented amount of joy that he can't seem to find elsewhere. Perhaps it was due to the cheap price (a bargainous £3!) or maybe it was simply because Tesco was the only shop open past 10pm on a weekday- either way, Tesco meal deals were Jeongin's favourite way to treat himself.

Jeongin was sure he had tried just about every combination there was to have- he had sampled all the sandwiches, the wraps, all the salads, snacks, drinks- _everything_. Although, despite the huge variety, he always found himself returning to the same thing everytime. 

_Egg cress sandwiches._

Jeongin's friends called him boring. Jeongin would call himself a man of excellent taste, a Tesco meal deal connoisseur, if you will, and then he would resume munching happily as his friends all scoffed at him. It's their loss, anyway; Tesco had utterly _perfected_ their egg cress sandwiches. They were completely balanced- _just_ the right amount of egg to bread ratio, and always a precise amount of cress that meant Jeongin could taste it, but it was never too overpowering. Heck, they even put the right amount of seeds in the bread! It was a flawless combination of crunchy and creamy, and Jeongin absolutely _thrived_ off of the stuff.

I'm sure you're wondering by now why I'm telling you this. You must be thinking ' _How on Earth can egg cress sandwiches possibly be relevant to the plotline?_ '. Well, Jeongin's love for Tesco meal deals is what brings us to the present day, where Jeongin can be found trudging through his nearest Tesco Express, practically aching for a fix of his favourite egg cress sandwich.

You see, Jeongin had had a bad day. It had started with him being late for school, and then had progressively gotten worse as he realised that his rush to get ready had resulted in him forgetting to pick up his homework, which in turn meant he got detention and had to remain at school for far longer than he could stand. The walk home had been a brief breath of fresh air, though his relief was soon cut short. As if it were the cherry on top, Jeongin had been _just_ angry enough at the world that it had caused him to snap, and once again inform his father that he wanted to study _music_ , not science, or worse, _maths_. Thus, he had been sent to bed with not only a heavy heart, but also an empty stomach- which is what had prompted him to clamber out of his window and wander off to the shops. 

He had always had a bit of a rebellious streak.

Fortunately for his grumbling stomach, the walk wasn't too long, and his path soon became illuminated by the electric blue light emanating from the _Tesco_ logo. He was practically vibrating with excitement as he pushed open the doors, and his signature smile spread across his face as he immediately spotted what he was looking for.

His favourite sandwich, in all it's delicious glory, was sitting on the shelf as if it were waiting just for him. It was the last one left, which Jeongin thought was understandable because they really were just _that_ good. Jeongin's strides became larger as he speed-walked over to the meal deal section, anticipation pooling in the pit of his stomach. It was finally within his reach, he was just _so hungry,_ he stretched out a hand ready to grasp ahold of the sandwich-

Only for his hand to meet... another hand?

Jeongin's head snapped up so fast it was almost scary, ready to send a vicious glare to whoever was trying to get _his_ sandwich. His resolve faltered briefly as he realised that the culprit was someone he vaguely knew- it was a boy he recognised from a few classes, someone he had seen around school every now and again but had never given a second glance- though he soon decided that the sandwich was far more important to him than his reputation, and he resumed glaring daggers at the boy.

"I was here first," The boy shrugged, a smug grin on his face. Jeongin felt irritation bubble ominously inside him, ready to erupt any second. He was _not_ in the mood for this.

"There are plenty of other sandwiches, have one of them," Jeongin replied, voice low. The boy scoffed at Jeongin, folding his arms across his chest. A small part of Jeongin's brain registered how broad the boy's shoulders were and informed Jeongin that he should _not_ , under any circumstance, pick a fight with him, as he would surely lose. However, if anything, that just fuelled Jeongin's anger.

"But I want _this_ sandwich, why don't _you_ have- woah, wait, dude, are you crying?"

Now, Jeongin was many things, but he was not a liar. Some would describe him as brutally honest, but Jeongin just prided himself on being truthful. He never felt the need to dance around a subject, always speaking exactly what was on his mind, and he was a self-proclaimed master of simply witholding information. Because of this, he had never really had any practice with the art of lying, and that is why as he stuttered out an indignant "No!" in answer to the boy's question, he may as well have just told him that the sky wasn't blue. 

Yeah, he was crying.

"Oh no- um- Oh, wow, are you okay?"

As Jeongin began hiccuping loudly, the other boy began to panic, glancing around the shop as he tried to shush Jeongin's meltdown. Fortunately, the only other person in the supermarket this late was the cashier, who was staring at his phone with a disinterested expression. 

"Is this just about the sandwich?"

Jeongin shook his head, heaving out a huge sob. 

"Oh, gosh- Hey, um, do you wanna, like, share it? We can get some other snacks too, and then you can talk about it, if you want?" The boy asked, his voice a strange mix of alarmed and concerned. 

Jeongin's sobs began to simmer down into sniffles as the boy talked- maybe there was some hope for him purchasing his sandwich after all. He blinked slowly at the boy, contemplating for a beat, then wiped his eyes and nodded.

The boy beamed at him, and Jeongin may have felt his heart skip a beat as he noticed that the boy had dimples. 

"I'm Chan, by the way," He said as he began shoving food into his basket. Jeongin could almost feel his wallet getting lighter with every item Chan picked up. "Most people at school call me Chris, but I reserve my Korean name for my friends. Hey, you're in the same form as my cousin, right?"

Jeongin briefly recalled Felix, a boy in his form, talking about his cousin in the same school and nodded, then quickly realised that Chan had his back to him and couldn't see the gesture. 

"Yeah, I'm Jeongin. Your cousin is Felix, right? How did you know I was in his form?"

Chan waved his free hand as he threw another bag of quavers into the basket, prompting Jeongin to wrinkle his nose.

"Just heard it through the grapevine," He said vaguely. Jeongin snorted as if he hadn't been crying in a Tesco ailse mere moments ago.

"That implies that people talk about me, which I doubt. I'm not exactly popular."

At that, Chan turned around, furrowing his brows at Jeongin.

"Dude, yeah you are- literally, like, _everybody_ knows you cause you're always smiling, everyone thinks you're cute."

"Do you think I'm cute?" Jeongin asked before he could stop himself, then silently cursed his brain to mouth filter, trying not to visibly wince. Why on Earth would he ask that?

Instead of scoffing or giving Jeongin a weird look, Chan just laughed.

"Well, I'm a part of everyone, aren't I?"

Fortunately, they had reached the till, so Chan didn't see how Jeongin's jaw dropped rather unattractively. A cute boy thought _he_ was cute? Maybe Jeongin's day wasn't going so bad after all.

It wasn't until after Chan had bid the cashier a goodnight and they both exited the store that Jeongin realised Chan had paid for everything. He swiftly began rooting through his pockets, locating his wallet and digging out a few notes.

"You don't owe me anything," Chan said upon noticing Jeongin's outstretched hand. Jeongin pulled a face.

"But if we're going to share then I need to pay too," He responded, confusion lacing his tone.

"It's okay, you can just pay next time,"

That sounded fair. Jeongin nodded, stuffing the money back into his pockets. He gave a small smile as he thought about what Chan had said- _next time._ Jeongin was rather excited at the prospect of a next time, already enjoying the small amount of time he had spent with Chan so far that night and definitely eager to spend more with him.

Jeongin took a deep breath as they walked, relishing in the scent of the fallen leaves. Chan had led them into a park, and Jeongin was overjoyed to find that the leaves were still crunchy- they hadn't yet fallen victim to any particularly damp mornings or harsh rain. He spent the rest of the jouney stomping through the grass, giggling every time he stepped on a particularly crispy leaf. Perhaps it was a good thing that he missed the fond look Chan sent his way, because his heart would have surely faltered should he have noticed.

Soon enough, they reached the end of the path. Jeongin frowned, looking at Chan incredulously. He was beginning to have second thoughts- perhaps following a near stranger into a dark, desolate park at an ungodly hour of night when nobody else knew where he was was not one of his finest ideas, admittedly. Jeongin could only hope that if this night were to end in any 'take outs' it would be on a date rather than... well, the other option.

Chan turned around, grinning broadly at Jeongin. 

"I'm gonna show you something, but you can't show anyone else, okay?"

Jeongin squinted at him, then shrugged.

"Okay, sure,"

Chan's smile somehow grew even wider, and he once again spun to face forwards. It was too late for Jeongin to get cold feet now, and hey, if he _did_ get murdered then at least he wouldn't have to study for his chemistry test on Friday.

Chan pulled the sleeves of his hoodie over his hands, and Jeongin had to physically restrain himself from cooing at how tiny it made him seem. He watched with his head tilted in bemusement as Chan reached forwards, tentatively lifting a particularly bushy branch covered in thorns.

"Ta da!" Chan exclaimed, stepping aside to allow Jeongin to see what exactly he was making all the fuss about. Jeongin crouched a little, peering into the darkness before him, and as his eyes adjusted he realised Chan had guided them to a small clearing. There wasn't much room- Jeongin could imagine that it would get rather cramped should anymore than three people attempt to occupy the area at once, but, obviously, there was only the two of them, so the space would likely fit them snugly.

"Please go inside, I think a thorn has gone through my hoodie,"

"Oh!" Jeongin gasped, realising he had been staring for far too long, and hurriedly launched himself through the small opening Chan had created. "Sorry!"

"It's okay," Chan laughed as he squeezed through after Jeongin, shuffling around until he was comfortable with his back against a tree. 

"How did you even find this place?" Jeongin questioned as he glanced around, appreciating the serenity that came with being seemingly enveloped in the small pocket of the park. Chan was silent for a beat, pursing his lips.

"Honestly, it involved a skateboard and heelies and I would rather not talk about it," He responded, avoiding eye contact with Jeongin as he reached for the food. Jeongin barked out a laugh, throwing his head back as he thought about the implications of Chan's words.

"I wish I could have seen that," He giggled, and Chan gave him a look:

"I am so glad that you didn't. I came into school looking like I had gotten into a fight with an army of cats, my friends didn't let me live it down for _weeks_ ,"

Jeongin laughed again at the folorn tone in Chan's voice. "I think I remember that, is that why Jisung kept singing ' _breaking free_ ' everytime you walked into class?"

Chan groaned, holding his face in his hands and slowly sliding down against his tree. "If I never hear ' _we're soaring, flying_ ' ever again in my life it'll still be too soon." He was silent for a beat before he cracked open an eye. "Wait, you know Jisung?"

"Well, I don't know him personally, but I'd rather listen to him talking than our Bio teacher," Jeongin replied. Chan snorted.

"I feel you, I would let him make fun of me every single day if it meant I never have to write another essay on mitosis or whatever it is we're supposed to be learning about," 

"I'll tell him you said that,"

At Jeongin's teasing, Chan shot up, staring at Jeongin with wide eyes. 

"I take it back, pretend I never said that, I will literally do anything for you to never mention a word of that to Jisung," He pleaded, giving Jeongin a pitiful attempt at puppy eyes as he clasped his hands together.

Jeongin hoped that the look he gave Chan accurately portrayed the sheer amount of disgust he was feeling at his effort to act cute. He scrunched his nose, which only prompted Chan to try harder. Jeongin shuddered.

"Well, you can start by stopping that and not hogging all the food- give me my half of the sandwich!" Jeongin quipped in a teasing manner, poking Chan's leg. He appeared to have forgotten about their bag of treats and instantly brightened, whirling around to pull the bag between the two of them. He dug around for a few seconds, strewing packets of sweets and crisps all over the ground before he finally found what he was searching for. Triumphantly, he held up the sandwich, and Jeongin could already feel his mouth watering. 

Jeongin thought that the amount of excitement and vigour with which Chan tore into the packaging was rival to even his own enthusiasm. It seemed as if Chan was just as much of an avid egg-cress-sandwich-lover as Jeongin was himself, though he probably should have gathered that from Chan's unwillingness to give up on the sandwich.

"Half for Innie... and half for me!" Chan exclaimed cutely, taking a huge bite. Jeongin laughed.

"Don't you think it's too soon for you to use a nickname on me?"

"Why? It's not like we're strangers," Chan pouted. Jeongin scrunched his nose up as he noticed a stray bit of cress stuck to the corner of Chan's lip. 

"Yes we are, we've never spoken until tonight," Jeongin replied, raising an eyebrow.

Chan's pout intensified.

"But i've already seen you cry over a sandwich, I feel like we've at least reached some level of friendship- and I showed you my secret hideout!"

"Touché," Jeongin giggled, looking back to his sandwich. 

"Did you wanna talk about that, by the way? You said you weren't only upset about the sandwich," Chan asked, nudging Jeongin with his elbow. Jeongin huffed and took a bite of his sandwich before answering.

"I told my dad I wanted to study music,"

"Ah," Chan sighed as if that answered everything, leaning his head back against the tree again. "I feel you,"

Jeongin hummed. Maybe that did answer everything, then.

"Singing is my... it's what I'm good at, you know?" Jeongin continued quietly. "I can do maths and science if I work hard, but I have to work _really_ hard, and I hate them. It's not even like I have a completely unreachable dream, I just want to teach music or something like that, but my dad won't listen! Everytime I mention it he sends me to bed without dinner, which is why I was out tonight,"

"Wow, I wish I had talked to you sooner, I could do with some new voices in my tracks," Chan grinned. Jeongin looked at him with wide eyes.

"You produce tracks? That's so cool!" He gasped excitedly, although shortly furrowed his brows. "But you haven't even heard me sing yet,"

Chan chuckled at the stars that appeared in Jeongin's eyes. "Well, if you're this enthusiastic about music then I have no doubt that you're good,"

Jeongin smiled gratefully. "What about you, then? You seem like you have a similar situation,"

Chan pressed his lips together, looking down to his hands in his lap. "Kind of- my dad wants me to do sports, but I want to study music and produce." He laughed, though there was no humour in it. "My life feels like some sort of low budget remake of High School Musical, except it's British and Troy is into dudes. I'm Troy, if that wasn't already clear."

Jeongin laughed so hard he nearly choked on a bite of his sandwich, which in turn almost caused him to forget Chan's admission- key word being _almost_. Jeongin felt his heart betray him and flutter a little at the words; perhaps it was simply because Chan trusted him with the information, or maybe it was because Jeongin was beginning to develop a bit of a crush on the other boy (' _Who am I kidding,'_ Jeongin later thought to himself, _'It's definitely the latter,'_ ) but either way, Jeongin knew the words weren't going to leave his mind any time soon. Instead of dwelling on them, though, Jeongin simply continued the conversation.

"Were you forced to skip dinner too?"

Chan pulled a horrified expression. "Oh, no, my dad would _never_ make me miss dinner, I'm just really hungry- like, all the time,"

"Evidently," Jeongin replied cheekily, eyeing the numerous packets of food that had yet to be opened. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chan gasped, affronted, though it was clear that he wasn't really upset due to his over exaggerated pout. 

Jeongin only laughed, finally polishing off his sandwich and digging into the bag of haribos at his feet. Yeah, maybe today wasn't so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi lovelies!! 
> 
> i hope you enjoyed the start to this fic! im hoping to update regularly and i have everything planned out which means that shouldnt be too difficult to achieve, so pls subscribe if you liked it :D
> 
> you can find me on twt @binniesbutt , lets be friends!!


	2. Chapter 2

After their first meeting, Jeongin had worried that it was going to end up a one time thing. They had exchanged socials, of course, and saved eachothers phone numbers (Chan had saved Jeongin's with a plant emoji next to his name, which he insisted was meant to represent cress, so Jeongin, in return, saved Chan's name with an egg emoji) however, Jeongin still felt anxiety clawing at his throat for the next few days as he wondered whether Chan was just as eager for their next meeting as Jeongin himself was.

Fortunately, a few days was all Jeongin had to wait. He _had_ eaten dinner that night, but Jeongin was a growing boy and _certainly_ was not one to turn down a Tesco's meal deal, so when he recieved the text from Chan inviting him to hang out, he escaped through his window at a record breaking speed. As soon as his feet touched solid ground he tapped out a response, agreeing enthusiastically to meet at the shop as soon as possible. 

Belatedly, he noticed Chan had sent a puppy-dog-eyes emoji, and Jeongin was sure he could see Chan's own pout through the screen. ' _Disgusting,'_ he thought as he smiled at the text, his fond expression saying otherwise.

He made the trip to the shop far quicker than he ever had before, tripping over protruding cracks in the pavement and even his own feet more times than he cared to admit. If anyone were to ask, Jeongin would claim that he was just tired, but there's no point in lying to himself- Jeongin knew it was because he was just rushing to see Chan again.

Rounding the corner, Jeongin had to take smaller steps in order to avoid anymore embarrassing stumbles, because, _wow,_ Chan looked amazing. It wasn't that he was wearing anything particularly special- in fact, Jeongin was certain that the lack of effort put into his appearance was actually what made him so beautiful. He was bundled tightly in a fluffy jacket, a clear attempt to battle the harsh chill that always accompanied Autumn in Britain, and though it didn't seem to be doing much to keep Chan warm (if his shivering was anything to go by), Jeongin was grateful for the opportunity to see Chan looking so huggable nontheless. Jeongin's eyes were dragged upwards as he noticed the violent chattering of Chan's teeth, and he observed the red flush dusted over his cheeks and nose with a bashful smile. Chan's face was void of makeup, his usually shadowed eyes bare and striking under the fluorescent glow of the Tesco sign. In short, he was ethereal, and Jeongin sent a silent thank you to whoever was listening, wondering just how much good he must have done in his past lives to be able to see Chan in all his natural beauty. 

"Innie? Are you going to stand there all night, or can we go inside?" Chan rasied an eyebrow, though it didn't quite have the desired effect due to his aggressive shuddering. Jeongin blanched, quickly coming back to the present and realising he had let himself stare at Chan for far longer than could be deemed _just friendly_.

"Oh- Sorry, I was... distracted- um, yeah, let's go," Jeongin stuttered, attempting to move past Chan to disguise his embarrassment.

"Like what you see?"

In that moment, Jeongin shut down. It was as if he had been posessed, like someone had clicked 'restart' on Jeongin's life and forced his brain to come to an abrupt halt before whirring back to life and prompting him to spill the first thing that came to mind- only, none of that really happened, and all Jeongin had to blame was his seemingly defective brain-to-mouth filter.

" _Yes,_ " He replied, with ounces of enthusiasm. Jeongin hadn't even been aware that he was capable of pouring that much emotion into one word. He quickly slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide, though the damage had already been done.

Chan laughed, and Jeongin could only be glad that he had his back turned and couldn't see his face in that moment. He waited for Chan to make a judging comment, or worse, leave and decide he didn't want to spend time with Jeongin anymore.

 _Fortunately_ , neither of those things happened.

 _Unfortunately_ , what Chan _actually_ said was far worse for Jeongin's heart.

"You look pretty cute yourself," 

Jeongin let out a strangled noise as Chan brushed past him, strolling into the shop as if the interaction hadn't even happened. 

"Are you coming?" He questioned, raising a perfect eyebrow at Jeongin. Startling out of his shock, Jeongin nodded and rushed forwards, not wanting to embarrass himself further.

Unlike their last trip, there were numerous egg cress sandwiches packed onto the shelves ready for the taking, however they seemed to have reached a silent agreement that they would again just share the one. Neither of them protested as they walked away with the lone sandwich in the basket- there was something nice about having something to share, just between the two of them. They made their way around the shop in a comfortable silence, their last conversation seemingly forgotten (although, Jeongin still had the words playing in his head like a broken record). Jeongin let Chan throw whatever he wanted into the basket despite not knowing what half the treats were; he trusted Chan's taste enough not to stop him.

Reaching the till, Jeongin caught Chan's wrist as he reached into his pocket, evidently attempting to pay once again. Jeongin narrowed his eyes.

"I'm paying this time,"

Chan pouted. "But I chose everything, just let me pay-"

"No!" Jeongin exclaimed, shaking Chan's arm petulantly. "I help you eat it, it's only fair that we're even,"

"But I'm _older_ -"

"But you said next time _I_ would pay-"

" _But_ "

Jeongin didn't know what Chan's words were going to be, and he never would, because in that moment they were interrupted by someone clearing their throat obnoxiously.

"Can you guys, like, make up your minds and pay already?"

They both glanced up at the cashier, who wasn't even trying to hide their judgement from the duo, then back to eachother. Jeongin held Chan's gaze, trying to calculate his next move, before they simultaneously made a split second decision- Jeongin shoved at Chan as he made a mad dash towards the card machine, just as Chan darted forwards, using his full body weight to fend Jeongin off. They fumbled around with their wallets as they struggled to get ahold of their cards, using legs and elbows and anything that could possibly be used as a weapon to force the other away. The cashier sighed and closed their eyes, visibly considering quitting their job right then and there. Finally, Jeongin managed to grasp his card, yanking it out of the sleeve and thrusting it towards the machine- 

Only for Chan to beat him to it. He sent Jeongin a smug grin as the machine beeped, making it clear to the two who had succeeded in their mission. Jeongin let out a whine, throwing a soft punch to Chan's shoulder. 

"But you said I would pay next time!" He insisted, despite the transaction already being over. ' _Curse contactless payments_!' 

"Yeah, well, first come first serve, I guess," Chan grinned, gesturing for Jeongin to help pack their snacks into bags. Jeongin did so begrudgingly, sending Chan a sharp glare out of pettiness. He only laughed in response.

"If you do that again then I'm going to punch you for real," Jeongin huffed.

"Good luck, not to be that guy but I think that'd hurt you more than it'd hurt me,"

Jeongin looked at Chan's arm, then looked to his hand. Then back to Chan's arm. Yeah, Jeongin didn't stand a chance.

"I will fight you," 

"Cute,"

_Wait, what?_

Jeongin spluttered at the words seemingly out of the blue, forgetting that he was supposed to be sulking as he stared at Chan's quickly retreating figure, bags in hand. 

"You can't just keep _saying_ that!" He called, snapping out of his momentary surprise to catch up and take one of the bags for himself- he was _not_ letting Chan do all the work. 

"Why not?" Chan questioned, looking genuinely confused as he turned to face Jeongin again.

"You- You just- You just can't!" 

Chan giggled at Jeongin's eloquence, his eyes forming little crescents that made Jeongin's heart thunder.

"Come on, let's get going," He replied instead, choosing to ignore Jeongin's exasperation. 

The blast of cold air that hit them as they exited the shop was far worse than they had been expecting. Chan immediately began shivering, the chattering of his teeth resuming as he tried to wrap his coat tighter, and Jeongin buried his face into the scarf he had tied around his shoulders. 

"O-Okay," Chan stuttered around his shuddering, "Sh-Shall we head t-to where we went last time?"

Jeongin raised an eyebrow.

"Chan, if we sit in a park for an hour then you are going to freeze to death,"

Chan sighed, pressing his lips together as he realised Jeongin was right.

"I d-don't have any better options," He pouted.

Jeongin pursed his lips, mentally weighing his options- Of course, he would be in _major_ trouble should he get caught with Chan at his house, and he was already on thin enough ice as it is... But, he _really_ wanted to spend more time with Chan, and if something happened he supposed he could always hide Chan amongst the numerous plushies he had strewn all over his bed...

Coming to his decision, Jeongin grinned.

"We can go to my house!" He declared happily, beginning to skip in the direction he came.

"Woah- wait, is that, like, okay?" Chan questioned, grasping onto Jeongin's wrist. 

"Well, not really, but neither is me being here right now, so... I guess, as long as we don't get caught, it's fine,"

"You're sure?" 

"Of course!" Jeongin confirmed, making good use of his signature smile that he _knew_ could help him get away with murder. As expected, Chan was no match for Jeongin's beaming face, and shortly gave in.

"Alright, if you're sure- lead the way!"

° • * . ☆ .° . ° •*

Attempting to clamber through his window at unearthly hours of night (or rather, morning) was already difficult enough when it was him alone, but Jeongin quickly learned that it was _nothing_ compared to trying to smuggle himself, another fully-grown teenager, _and_ numerous bags of treats that tended to create quite a racket into his bedroom. It took far longer than they would have liked, and Jeongin almost found himself regretting his invitation. Almost.

It was worth it, even in spite of the gruelling ten minutes they had spent trying to stay quiet. Once the task was over, Jeongin found he quite liked how Chan fit into his room- Jeongin had always liked his walls to be decorated with vibrant colours, every shelf donning a range of weird and wonderful trinkets that had taken his fancy. He had a collection of CD's hanging from his curtain rail, for which he had stayed awake on numerous occasions for just to catch the sunrise and observe how the light reflected off of them, forming shimmering patterns over his room. There were butterflies drawn onto his window, posters plastered onto every wall, a guitar leaning up against his desk, glow in the dark stars scattered over the ceiling- it was busy, overflowing with colour and brightness and everything Jeongin loved.

Chan, on the other hand, was the polar opposite- Jeongin had only ever seen Chan wearing black. It wasn't like Jeongin was complaining, _gosh_ no; Chan suited black clothes like the earth suits the sky, like day suits night and like toast suits jam- it was just so _him_ , and Jeongin wouldn't let him change it for the world. In fact, Chan's less-than-colourful clothing was exactly what made him slot into the scene so well! Jeongin liked the contrast, as it reminded him of Chan himself; On the outside he was dark and unapproachable, but truthfully, he had the brightest, most _caring_ personality Jeongin had ever come across.

"You're staring," Chan stated, throwing Jeongin's train of thought off track.

"What? No I'm not," Jeongin lied, busying himself with the snacks.

"Dude, you were out for, like, a solid two minutes there,"

Jeongin felt heat creeping up his neck, rapidly spreading to the rest of his face.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," He insisted. Chan squinted at him.

"Sure,"

' _Nailed it,_ ' Jeongin thought triumphantly.

Chan then reached for one of the bags, pulling out the sandwich that he had placed meticulously above the rest of the food. He tore into it with enthusiasm rival to the previous night they spent together, and grinned excitedly as he handed half to Jeongin.

"So, I actually wanted to talk to you about something,"

Jeongin paused mid-bite, his eyes wide as they shot up to meet Chan's. He honestly had no idea what Chan could possibly want to talk to him about, and it wasn't long before he felt anxiety swelling in his chest. Had he done something wrong?

"Oh, wait, I should ask- if you could study music, where would you go?"

Jeongin frowned, tilting his head at Chan in confusion.

"The music college in the town over, there's not another one close by, is there? Anyway, it doesn't matter, my dad would _never_ pay for it so-"

"No, no, no," Chan said, gesturing wildly with his free hand. "That's actually what I wanted to talk about,"

"Oh," Jeongin replied intelligently, his confusion only growing.

"Well, you see, I was doing some research, and there's this scholarship- It's like, a group project thing, I guess, so if we produce a track and prove we've got the teamwork _and_ the skills to make it together, they'll want us on board and we'll get a full ride," Chan explained, nervously glancing at Jeongin. 

"You want me to help you produce a track?" Jeongin gasped, his sandwich left forgotten on his lap.

"Yeah- I mean, we're in the same position, and this could be a really good chance for both of us. _Please_ say yes, I really-"

"Oh my gosh! Yes, of course!" Jeongin cried, launching himself towards Chan to pull him into a hug. He felt Chan sag with relief at the words before returning the hug full force.

"Thank you, thank you, _thank you!_ " He breathed, and all Jeongin could do was wheeze in response- he was really glad he hadn't actually attempted to punch Chan earlier.

"Jeongin?" 

The two froze, pulling apart to stare at eachother in shock. Belatedly, Jeongin realised thay they had been far too loud, too caught up in their elation to think about the setting.

"Yeah?" He half-shouted, shortly coming to his senses and batting aggressively at Chan to get him to lie down. Chan did so with little protest, hurriedly surrounding himself with plushies and pulling a blanket over his head.

"What are you doing up? Can I come in?"

_Shit._

"One sec! I'm, um, I'm not wearing a shirt!" Jeongin called back, stumbling towards his desk to grab a book before returning to where he had been seated. "Okay, you can come in,"

The door slowly creaked open to reveal Jeongin's mother, blinking blearily at her son.

"Why are you awake?" She asked, pulling a face as her eyes adjusted to the artificial light spilling into the hallway.

"Well, I couldn't sleep, so I decided to study," Jeongin rushed out, doing his absolute best to appear nonchalant- spoiler alert! He was failing, miserably.

His mother furrowed her brow, scanning over his room incredulously. Jeongin held his breath.

"And does studying involve talking?"

"Uhh- yes! It helps me remember if I say it out loud!" 

"Mhmm, and does it help you to remember if you have your book upside down, too?"

Jeongin's heart thundered as he held eye contact with his mother like a deer caught in the headlights, then glanced down to see his science book was indeed upside down. The diagram of a human body on his page stared right back up at him, a look that spoke volumes of ' _you utter dumbass_ ' written all over it's cartoon-ish features. Jeongin then thought he should probably go to sleep soon, considering he was convinced even his science book was judging him.

Despite the fact that the game was practically up, Jeongin was a strong believer in the phrase 'fake it 'till you make it,' so with an air of confidence he didn't know he posessed, he replied with a solid, "Yes."

His mother slowly raised an eyebrow, prompting him to continue.

"It makes me... um, it means I have to work harder to read it, you know? So then, I like, retain the information-"

"Okay, okay, Jeongin," His mother laughed, rolling her eyes at her son's antics. "I'm going back to bed, I'm too tired to not believe you. _Please_ get some sleep soon,"

Jeongin nodded sheepishly before she closed his door, heading back to her room. Neither Jeongin or Chan moved a muscle until they had heard the soft padding fade, and the click of a door that signified she was out of hearing range. They both sagged in relief, Jeongin slumping back against his headboard and Chan throwing the blanket off his head.

"I think I squished my sandwich," Jeongin lamented after a beat of silence, lifting his knee to reveal his very squashed half of the sandwich. Chan let out a muted laugh as Jeongin's pout intensified, trying to wipe away the egg that had gotten onto his jeans with little success.

"I'm sorry, is my misery funny to you?" he asked, trying his best to sound affronted. He didn't think he was very successful, though, if the way Chan kept smiling was anything to go by.

"Maybe a little. Hey, if you're not going to eat that, then I-"

"Absolutely not!" Jeongin exclaimed, already stuffing as much of the sandwich he could in his mouth. "Thi' i' mine" 

"Sorry, what was that?" Chan giggled, pinching Jeongin's puffed out cheek. "That was kinda gross,"

"Shu' up,"

The two heard a muffled cough from down the hall, and both halted their movements again. They waited with bated breath, staring at eachother with wide eyes until they eventually deemed it safe enough to speak again.

"I think I should probably go- it's really late and I don't want to risk you getting caught anymore," Chan said, sticking his bottom lip out dramatically.

"But there's still so much food," Jeongin whined, mirroring Chan's expression. "You should take it, you payed,"

"Noo," Chan replied, dragging out the vowel petulantly. "I bought them for you, too, so at least keep half,"

Jeongin huffed, throwing himself backwards into a mound of plushies. "Fine!" He relented, throwing his arms to the side. "But you're picking which bag you want to take,"

Chan held his hands up in surrender, laughing at Jeongin's antics. He then leaned over, patting Jeongin's head and ruffling his hair slightly. 

"Okay, fine. But really, thank you for agreeing; I don't know what I'd do without you,"

Jeongin blushed, at Chan's words or the head pat, he couldn't tell. Probably both.

"You're helping me just as much, Channie," Jeongin replied warmly, the nickname slipping out with ease, much to his horror. Fortunately, Chan didn't seem to think much of it, the name only prompting him to slip into a square smile. 

"Bye bye, Innie, I'll see you soon!" He bid, adding on a cute wave before he slipped out of the window with far more grace than he had posessed on the way up. Jeongin giggled as he heard a pained grunt once Chan reached the bottom, suggesting his gracefulness had really just been an act to appear suave.

° • * . ☆ .° . ° •*

The next morning, Jeongin awoke feeling rejuvenated. Despite his disrupted sleep schedule, the coming days only had him in a good mood. He had a new friend, a stomach full of half an egg cress sandwich, and for the first time in a while, a promising future. 

He skipped down the stairs two at a time, his signature smile on his face, ready to take on the world. Unbeknownst to him, there was toothpaste on the corner of his mouth, and a mysterious stain on his blazer, but Jeongin wouldn't have cared nontheless. He was going to make today a _good_ day.

"Where do you think you're going, young man?" 

Jeongin groaned. Of course, _something_ had to go wrong.

"Uhh, school?" He replied innocently, plucking a particularly plump apple from the fruit bowl for breakfast.

"Aren't you going to invite your friend to breakfast?"

"Oh, he left ages ago- Wait! What friend, I don't have any friends- I mean- I _do_ have friends but they're not-"

"Drop the act, Jeongin," His mother chided, raising a knowing eyebrow. Jeongin deflated. "And your friend was a _he?_ Jeongin, you _know_ you're not allowed boys in your room without telling us first,"

Ah yes, that suffocating rule. When it wasn't intefering with his social life, Jeongin found it awfully funny that his parents were completely fine with his preference for dating boys, but studying music was where they drew the line.

"Mum!" Jeongin moaned, closing his eyes in embarrassment. "We weren't doing anything like that! He was there to ask me something important,"

His mother looked at him curiously, abandoning the cornflakes she was pouring to look at Jeongin directly.

"Tell me, then, and maybe I'll rethink your punishment,"

Jeongin huffed, stomping his feet as he seated himself at the kitchen island. He glanced around, making sure his father wasn't within earshot, then leaned closer.

"Well, he wanted to talk about going to the music school-"

"Jeongin, honey, we've talked about this- you know your father and I can't afford to spend that much money if you're not going into a course that guarantees you a steady income-"

"But mum! That's what I'm talking about! Chan found a scholarship, and we could get a full ride if we prove we've got the skills and teamwork they want! _Please,_ don't tell dad, just let me try!"

His mother pressed her lips together and narrowed her eyes, considering his words carefully. Jeongin mustered up his best puppy-dog-eyes, pulling out all the stops to get her on his side.

"Fine, but you're telling your father if you get in,"

Jeongin cheered, dancing around the kitchen island to pull his mother into a hug. 

"Thank you!" He gasped excitedly. "Thank you so much!"

"On one condition, though," His mother continued, grabbing him by the shoulders and holding him at arms length. 

_Uh oh_.

"The deal is off if I catch you with a boy in your room again, Jeongin," she informed him sternly.

"But we weren't _doing_ anything," Jeongin protested, throwing his head back in complaint.

"Ah, ah, ah," His mother cut him off, waving a finger in his face. "That's exactly what you would tell me if you _were_ doing something,"

"Mum!" Jeongin exclaimed in mortification, heat rapidly creeping onto his cheeks. He pulled away and swung his backpack over his shoulder, desperate to escape the conversation. 

"Promise me, Jeongin!"

"Fine! I won't have anymore boys in my room!" Jeongin shrieked, shoving his shoes on with far more force than necessary. "Goodbye, mum!"

Jeongin dashed out of the house to the tune of his mother's cackling, his embarrassment not wavering until he had made it onto school grounds.

Yeah, despite the rocky start, today really was a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can u tell how much i love chan,,, me rereading my descriptions of him like O-O


	3. Chapter 3

Over the course of the next few weeks, Jeongin found that his Tesco jaunts with Chan became increasingly more frequent. What began as a little break every now and again shortly became a weekly thing, and soon enough they were meeting amost every other night. Due to the ever-growing hole in their pockets, they had eventually opted to stop buying all the extra snacks, but one thing stayed consistent- the sandwich.

Jeongin loved nothing more than sharing with Chan. It was strange, considering their equal love for the sandwich; you would surely expect them to get one each when possible, but Jeongin could never bring himself to purchase another, and as it seemed, neither could Chan. There was something so _special_ about having their own routine, something that belonged to them and nobody else, and Jeongin's heart fluttered whenever he thought about it.

It had reached the point where Jeongin couldn't bring himself to have his usual order without Chan being present. This had certainly been a shock to all his friends; Jeongin still giggled whenever he remembered the look of pure bemusement on their faces as he plucked a beef and horseradish sandwich from the shelves, completely disregarding the egg and cress ones mere centimetres away. They had been understandably concerned, even going as far as to question if he was feeling okay, but he simply brushed them off with a dismissive wave, offering them only the cryptic explanation of 'dunno, just felt like it,' before moving on.

The only thing that seemed to make their midnight excursions a little more difficult was the location. It was, more often than not, far too cold to be outside, though Jeongin and Chan still made do with their hidden spot as often as they could. Jeongin had belatedly realised that he had promised his mother he wouldn't get _caught_ with boys in his room, not that he wouldn't have them in there at all, but he still tried to not make a habit of exploiting this loophole, just to be safe. They also, on occasion, went to Chan's house, but his room was adjacent to his parents and the effort they had to put into staying quiet was simply not worth it. That, and Chan didn't like Jeongin walking home by himself; Jeongin had argued he was the taller of the two so surely _he_ should be the one walking _Chan_ home, but Chan had shot that down by merely raising a brow in silent judgement. Yeah, Chan was quite clearly stronger than Jeongin, and Jeongin hadn't pressed the subject further just to avoid thinking too hard about how muscular Chan was.

It was only a few weeks later, though, that they faced their biggest issue yet- the egg cress sandwiches were completely sold out.

"This is so sad," Jeongin lamented, staring at the shelf with a folorn expression. 

"You're not going to cry again, are you?" Chan joked, though Jeongin thought he detected some genuine worry in his tone.

"Shut up!" He whined, shoving at Chan's shoulder petulantly. "You know that was just a bad day!"

"I know, I know!" Chan laughed, trying to fend off Jeongin's attacks with little success. "I guess we'll have to get something else,"

Jeongin halted his movements, turning back to the shelf to glower at it as if it had personally wronged him. Chan watched in amusement, finding Jeongin's disdain all too endearing.

"I guess so," He relented after a beat. "What should we get?"

In the end, after a long, _long_ debate, they ended up choosing a chicken caesar wrap, something neither of them had tried in a while. It was good, but they both missed the familiarity of their egg cress sandwich terribly.

There was nothing else particularly important to highlight about that night- they had gone to the park, eaten their fill, talked for a while and then headed home- you know, the usual story. No, the _actual_ reason I'm telling you this is because the important thing happened the very next day.

As you have surely figured out by now, Jeongin's life practically revolves around food. He plans everything around his meal times, and he simply _can't_ do his homework unless he's had something to munch on first. His favourite time of the day is undoubtedly when he sneaks out to meet Chan, however, due to his intense love for eating, lunch time is a close second.

Jeongin doesn't particularly enjoy school, but he always finds himself excited to head to the canteen after fourth period. It's all part of his routine; he spends first lesson until fourth lesson wondering what they're going to be serving that day, then after lunch, he spends the final lesson wondering what they're going to have _tomorrow_. The food isn't brilliant, and Jeongin tends to not trust their egg cress sandwiches, but when you're a ravenous teen who has just sat through the utter _torture_ that is the education system for four hours, you tend to look past the bland flavours and questionable textures.

Though, his hunger and disregard for the mediocre-at-best food still doesn't stop him from picking off the stale crusts on his sandwich.

"You absolute spoon, stop wasting food- the crusts arent going to hurt you," complained Jeongin's best friend, Seungmin, with an eyeroll. 

"But they're so stale, they actually might!" Jeongin whined, tapping one of the pieces he just pulled off against the side of their table to prove his point. Seungmin pulled a face at the resulting _clack-clack-clack,_ suddenly understanding Jeongin's reluctance to eat them.

"Surely that's- are they even allowed to feed us stuff that out of date?" their other friend, Hyunjin questioned. Jeongin shrugged.

"I don't know if it's actually out of date, it might have just been lying about somewhere for the morning," He replied, though he was trying to convince himself more than anything. As hungry as he was, an upset stomach was not something he was willing to brave fifth period with.

They were silent for a few seconds as Jeongin resumed his task, and Seungmin resorted to judging him in silence. He shortly lost interest, though, his attention being drawn to something behind Jeongin.

"Why does it look like Christopher Bang is coming towards us?" He asked, blinking owlishly. Jeongin glanced up in confusion, furrowing his brows.

"Who?" He muttered as he shifted in his seat. "Oh! You mean Channie!"

Lo and behold, Chan was strolling towards them, a big grin on his face and his hands hidden behind his back. Upon gaining Jeongin's attention, his smile widened in a way Jeongin hadn't even thought was possible.

"Channie?" He heard Seungmin repeat in confusion, but chose to ignore his friend to instead wave wildly at Chan.

"What are you doing over here?" Jeongin questioned once Chan was within earshot, tilting his head in curiosity. They had never established how they should act around eachother in school, though Jeongin had just assumed it was another one of their unspoken agreements; they still sent eachother smiles and waves whenever they passed eachother, but ultimately stuck to their own friendship circles. Neither Chan nor Jeongin had made any effort to talk to eachother within school hours, which is why Jeongin was understandably interested in what the other boy had to say.

"What, you're not happy to see me?" Chan gasped dramatically, wiping a fake tear from his eye. "I'm wounded, Innie, I really am,"

" _Innie?_ " Seungmin hissed again, an expression on his face that told Jeongin he was in for a _lot_ of questioning.

"Oh, um- Chan, these are my friends, Seungmin and Hyunjin. Guys, this is Chan," Jeongin introduced, gesturing to the two of them respectfully. They gave awkward waves, evidently too bemused by the situation to function normally. Chan laughed, returning their waves with far more enthusiasm.

"Nice to meet you guys. Jeongin talks about you a lot, mostly good things,"

"Hey!" Jeongin complained, jutting out his bottom lip in mock offense. " _All_ good things, thank you very much! I have never uttered a mean word about any of my friends in my life!"

"You literally called me a gnome last night," Chan deadpanned.

"That's just a fact, you're like, not even five foot-"

"What! I'm barely shorter than you!"

"Plus, it's bold of you to assume you're my _friend_ -"

Chan gasped again, holding his free hand to his chest with a scandalised expression.

"And to think I was going to give you a gift out of the _kindness_ of my heart," he sniffed. Jeongin immediately perked up, as if he were only just noticing that Chan had been hiding something for the past few minutes.

"Really? I'm sorry! You are the bestest friend, the egg to my cress, the literal light of my life, I couldn't ask for-"

"Okay! Okay!" Chan laughed, the tips of his ears turning red as he tried to get him to stop talking. People were beginning to turn around at the disruption, so Chan wanted them to get back on track before Jeongin could embarrass him further. "Can you guess what it is?"

"You have far too much faith in my brain power, Chan," Jeongin pouted, leaning comically from side to side to try and catch a glimpse at whatever Chan was hiding.

"Fair enough," Chan giggled before finally revealing the object in his hands. Jeongin gasped at the sight, a pang of excitement ploughing directly into his chest.

"Oh my gosh!" He cried, jumping up and down erratically, "Is that for me?"

"Of course, who else would it be for?" Chan retorted, raising an eyebrow at Jeongin who was already trying to reach for the sandwich. "I made a detour to pick it up this morning since they were sold out last night,"

"You are an actual angel," Jeongin near squealed, launching himself into Chan's arms for a hug. Chan tried to protest, but he evidently didn't mind it too much as he very quickly gave in.

"Yeah, yeah, I know I'm pretty cool,"

"Shut up, you ruined it," 

Chan tried not to look at Jeongin with all yhe affection he was feeling when he watched the younger open the packet with a large grin on his face, though if the looks he was recieving from Jeongin's friends meant anything, he was not succeeding in the slightest. He smiled at them sheepishly, a hand flying to his ear as he tried to subtly disguise the heat he felt in them. Seungmin sent him a lazy smirk, quirking an eyebrow at him, and Chan knew he had been caught.

Before he could do anything to dig himself even deeper, his view was obstructed by what he soon realised was the very sandwich he just gifted to Jeongin.

"What?" He questioned, prompting Jeongin to shake it in his face. "But I got it for you?"

Jeongin huffed, rolling his eyes dramatically.

"Yeah, and we always share it, dummy," He explained as if he were talking to a five year old. "Come on, I know you can't resist it,"

Chan squinted at the sandwich, then at Jeongin, then back at the sandwich. Jeongin stayed silent throughout his internal debate, trying not to giggle at Chan's furrowed brows, until Chan finally took the sandwich. Jeongin was right, he couldn't resist.

"Thanks,"

"No! I shoul' be than'in you!" Jeongin insisted, not waiting to finish chewing the humongous bite. Chan closed his eyes and sighed, exasperated.

"Stop talking with your mouth full, you heathen,"

Jeongin hit Chan's shoulder playfully, but swallowed his bite before speaking again nontheless.

"But really, thank you- you saved me from eating... this," He said, prodding at his discarded crusts.

"It's no problem, I wanted to," Chan beamed in response. "Oh! That reminds me, I _also_ wanted to ask if you're free on Saturday?"

Jeongin blinked rapidly, pressing his lips together as he thought.

"Um... I should be? Do you mean Saturday night, or..."

"No, the whole day- We need to make a start on the song, remember?"

"Oh!" Jeongin exclaimed, eyes widening in understanding. "Of course, yeah, I'll be there- your place?"

"Yeah, you know where it is," Chan nodded, "You can come anytime after noon, I'll probably be awake by then,"

"Cool," Jeongin replied, smiling slightly.

"Cool,"

They stared at eachother in silence, neither of them knowing what to say next. Jeongin thought that, to anyone else, the silence may have been awkward, but to him it was anything but- after all, he would never give up on an opportunity to stare at Chan. It seemed Chan must have been sharing Jeongin's thoughts, as he didn't try to interrupt the quiet either.

As it turned out, though, neither of them needed to, as Seungmin was the first to make a noise. Both Jeongin and Chan snapped out of their reverie as Seungmin cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed that they had been caught.

"Um, I should probably get back to my friends, then..." Chan trailed off, halfheartedly gesturing behind him before once again tugging at his reddening ears. Jeongin would have laughed if he wasn't positive that a blush of his own was crawling onto his cheeks.

"Yeah," He agreed, "I'll see you Saturday,"

"Yeah, see you,"

Jeongin watched Chan leave, waiting until he had reached his own friends before he re-occupied his seat. He was about to resume eating before he noticed that it was awfully quiet, and Jeongin knew that, being friends with Hwang Hyunjin, quiet was a rare occurrence. He glanced up, incredulous eyes meeting his friends confused ones.

"What?," He asked, completely oblivious.

"You have a crush on Christopher Bang," Seungmin declared, slumping back in his seat with his arms folded tightly. Jeongin's mouth opened and closed like a fish as he struggled to formulate a response.

"What? No I don't, what made you think that, he's just my friend-"

"Cut the crap, Jeongin, he called you _Innie_ -"

"Okay? Everyone makes nicknames for their friends, though!"

"The last time I called you Innie, you threatened to go through my shelves and dog-ear bookmark half the pages of my books. _Nobody_ calls you Innie," Seungmin deadpanned, staring Jeongin straight in the eye. Jeongin huffed, throwing his head back petulantly. 

"Fine, yes I have a crush on Chan, can we _please_ drop it now,"

"Also, whats the deal with Saturday?" Hyunjin piped up, completely ignoring Jeongin. "Has he written a song for you? Is that what he said? Oh my gosh, that's so cute-"

"No!" Jeongin protested, pressing his hands to his face to try and cool his burning cheeks. "We're writing a song together- not like that! It's for a scholarship at the music college,"

Both Hyunjin and Seungmin looked at him in surprise before sharing an excited glance between themselves.

"Wait, so you'll be coming to college with us?" Hyunjin exclaimed, slapping the table in excitement.

"That's only _if_ we get in," 

"And Chan's helping you?" 

Jeongin chose not to reply, only nodding shyly in response.

"That's actually kind of sweet though," Seungmin smiled, stealing a glance at Chan's table. His smile grew as he noticed Chan glancing at Jeongin, a warm expression on his face as he did so. Seungmin turned back to Jeongin.

"He likes you too, by the way,"

Jeongin choked, accidentally inhaling a small piece of egg as he processed the information. Hyunjin beat Jeongin's back as he coughed, evidently trying to help, but Seungmin worried that the poor boy was going to go flying. He didn't fail to notice the way Chan shot out of his seat in concern before Jeongin brushed Hyunjin off, finally getting his breath back.

"He what?" Jeongin said weakly before gulping down half of his water.

"He likes you. He was blushing more than you were," Seungmin explained, amusement invading his tone. "Plus, he went out of his way to buy you a sandwich for lunch, nobody just _does_ that for their friends,"

"Maybe not most people, but this is _Chan_ ," Jeongin insisted, as if that was enough explanation. In a way, it was- Chan wasn't popular for no reason. It was no secret to their peers that he was good looking _and_ took care of all his friends; however, it was also somewhat of an ongoing joke within their year group that Chan would let _nothing_ get in the way of his lunch. Seungmin let out a doubtful hum as he watched one of Chan's friends- Changbin- attempt to steal a grape from Chan's lunchbag, only for Chan to glare menacingly at him while brandishing his spoon as if it were a deadly weapon.

"Yeah, sure," Seungmin relented, though he didn't put any effort into sounding sincere. Jeongin rolled his eyes, simply glad that the conversation was over.

"So, anyway," Hyunjin said, staring at something in the distance. "Do you think you could get me Changbin's number?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so,,, first of all, i am so sorry lmao
> 
> when i said i would update regularly i severely underestimated the amount of work i was going to get from college, and it ultimately left me very unmotivated which is why it has taken me like a month 😭 i am so sorry!!!!
> 
> however i did make [this playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5aICxdkzLdigb6Zs1qvSA4?si=XNiecmTVTCyohs-b70EWLQ) to help me write so maybe this will make up for it :]


End file.
